The Hour Of Darkness
by Zap Rowesdower
Summary: The Halliwell sisters encounter an evil cult bent on ruling the world. (Chapter Two Up) Please R
1. Default Chapter

The Hour of Darkness  
  
  
  
Author's Note: I don't own Charmed…  
  
  
  
I.  
  
The morning broke softly in a haze of fog, gray skies and chilling rain as the lone SUV made its way down the deserted country road. Thick patches of fog and mist shrouded everything in a cold, wet dew, obscuring the road and the surrounding countryside as the headlights of the SUV winked out while night slowly gave way to a gray November morning.  
  
  
  
The wet morning chill cut right through Piper Halliwell's down-filled jacket as she absently gazed at the barren landscape that passed by in an endless stream of barren trees, thick woods and snow-packed fields. The rental SUV's heater took off some of the chill from her legs as she glanced over at her older sister, Prudence, who hummed softly in time with the music that played on the radio. The music faded out as Prue guided the vehicle along the icy road up one hill and then down into a small valley.   
  
  
  
Phoebe was in the back seat packed tightly between suitcases and thick cardboard boxes which were sealed with duct tape. Phoebe seemed to feel Piper looking back at her as Phoebe glanced up at her older sister and smiled while she listened to her CD player. Piper offered a warm smile in return as she faced forward once more to stare out her window at the alien landscape.  
  
  
  
"Piper," Prue suddenly spoke, which caused Piper to start involuntarily, "get out the roadmap and see where the heck we're headed. I don't recognize this stretch of road at all."   
  
  
  
"How can you tell, Prue?" Piper joked as she fetched the roadmap from the glove compartment, "This whole road looks the same to me. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that we've been traveling in circles."  
  
  
  
"Don't say that," Prue smiled, "you'll jinx us."  
  
  
  
Piper just grinned as she unfolded the map and carefully read each landmark and twists in the road. After several minutes, Piper frowned.  
  
  
  
"I hate to say this, guys," Piper mumbled, as she glanced up from the roadmap to the road ahead, "but I think we're lost."  
  
  
  
"Oh, great," Prue grumbled, as Phoebe removed her headset and leaned forward between her two older sisters.  
  
  
  
"Hey," Phoebe chimed in cheerfully, "what's going on?"  
  
  
  
"We are so-o lost," Piper declared as she fumbled with the map, "if I'm reading the map correctly, we should have seen the highway an hour ago."  
  
  
  
"Well," Prudence snipped as she checked the rental car's gas gauge, "we had better find a gas station soon, otherwise we'll be walking to Alberta."  
  
  
  
"We can't be very far from the highway, Piper," Phoebe replied as she ignored Prue's comment and pointed at the map, "we past through this town here on the way to dig up those black roots. The highway wasn't more than twenty miles further on down the road."  
  
  
  
"I still can't believe we had to come all the way to Canada just to get some spell components," Piper said, as she folded the map and handed it back to Phoebe. Phoebe unfolded the map in her lap as she put on her headset once more, tapping her foot in time with the beat of the music as she silently sang along.  
  
  
  
"We didn't have any choice, Piper," Prue reminded her younger sibling, "the black roots are very important to some of our more powerful vanquishing spells. They can only be harvested at certain times of the year and since our regular supplier was out of them we had to come to Canada ourselves."  
  
  
  
"Couldn't we have just back ordered them?" Piper joked dryly.  
  
  
  
"And what if some powerful demon showed up?" Prue asked, "Besides, we found enough black root to restock our spell supplies for nearly a year, and it was free. What we saved on the cost of the black roots more than paid for this trip to Canada."  
  
  
  
"What about the fact that you had to take time off from Buckland's, Prue?" Piper argued, "And I certainly can't take any more time off from Quake's."  
  
  
  
"Just think of it as a vacation, Piper," Phoebe urged as she leaned forward between Prue and Piper, "it gives us a chance to get out of San Francisco for a while."  
  
  
  
"Phoebe," Piper said as she looked at her younger sister, "my idea of a vacation is a warm beach on some tropical island, not Canada in the fall."  
  
  
  
Piper turned back to face forward when she noticed a small, dark shape move onto the road in front of them, not more than fifty feet ahead through the fog. It took the shape of a small child; a young blonde-haired girl, who simply stood in the middle of the road and watched the vehicle bare down on her.  
  
  
  
"Prue, look out!" Piper screamed. Prue's dark eyes focused on the young girl as Prue slammed on the breaks and turned the steering wheel sharply to the right. The SUV skidded off the road and crashed into the ditch on the right hand side, tossing the Halliwell sisters about. After a few seconds the SUV came to a halt.  
  
  
  
"Is everyone alright?" Prue asked, as she undid her safety belt. Piper looked back at her older sister and nodded briefly, then turned to face Phoebe, who was holding her head. A small trickle of blood seeped from beneath her fingers.  
  
  
  
"Phoebe!" Piper cried, as she fought to undo her own restraints, "Are you okay?"  
  
  
  
"Yeah, I think so," Phoebe groaned, "just a nasty knock on the head. Are you guys okay?"  
  
  
  
"I'm fine…Piper?" Prue asked, "What about you?"  
  
  
  
"Just shaken, not stirred," Piper joked, "but what about that…girl?"  
  
  
  
Prue and Phoebe looked towards the rear of the SUV where Piper stared, but the little girl was gone.  
  
  
  
"Oh, no!" Piper gasped, "Do you think we hit her?"  
  
  
  
"I know I didn't hit her!" Prue stammered, as she and Piper exited the SUV. Phoebe started to follow her sisters but Piper ordered her to stay put.  
  
  
  
Piper jogged up to Prue, who was looking about frantically for any signs of the mysterious little girl. Piper's long hair flung around her face and shoulders as she looked to her left, then right, before grabbing Prue's jacket.  
  
  
  
"You did see a little girl, right?" Piper asked worriedly.  
  
  
  
"We both did, Piper," Prue said quietly, "although it would seem as though we both hallucinated the whole thing."  
  
  
  
"Both of us?" Piper asked, "How is that possible? How could we both hallucinate about the same thing at the same time?"  
  
  
  
"I don't know," Prue said, "but let's go check on Phoebe. There's no little girl out here that we can find. Maybe Phoebe's power can help…if the little girl was real."  
  
  
  
Piper went back to the SUV, which was half way in a step ditch, as she struggled to open the passenger door, while Phoebe wrestled to remove several boxes from her lap, which had been tossed about when the vehicle had gone into the ditch.  
  
  
  
"Let me see that head of yours," Piper demanded softly, "that was some nasty knock you took. Are you feeling sick to your stomach?"  
  
  
  
"No," Phoebe replied, "unless you're talking about Prue's driving."  
  
  
  
"Not really," Piper said softly, "if you're feeling sick to your stomach, it could mean that you have a mild concussion."  
  
  
  
"Don't worry about me, Piper," Phoebe said with a quirky smile, "I'm tough--even when Prue's driving. What happened, anyway?"  
  
  
  
"We thought we saw a little girl in the road, Phebes," Prue said, as she entered the driver's side door and pulled herself inside, "but we can't seem to find her."  
  
  
  
"I didn't see anyone," Phoebe declared as Piper tended to her small wound, "what did she look like?"  
  
  
  
"It all happened so fast," Piper said, her hands shaking, "it looked like a little blonde-haired girl dressed in black."  
  
  
  
"Out here?" Phoebe asked, "In the middle of nowhere?--OUCH!"  
  
  
  
"Sorry," Piper apologized.  
  
  
  
"Maybe you saw an animal--you know, like a deer or something," Phoebe offered.   
  
  
  
Prue nodded, "That's possible. The fog out here is pretty thick."  
  
  
  
"We should make sure," Piper advised.  
  
  
  
"Alright," Prue said, "you two stay here; I'll go and have a look around."  
  
  
  
"Don't wander off too far, Prue," Piper said.  
  
  
  
"Yes, mother."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Prue Halliwell emerged from the bushes a short distance from the SUV a while later as Piper and Phoebe came up to her. Prue brushed the snow from her jacket and sighed.  
  
  
  
"How's your head?" Prue questioned.  
  
  
  
"Nothing broken, I think," Phoebe grinned, "so, did you find your mysterious little girl?"  
  
  
  
"Nothing," Prue announced, "there's definitely no little girl out here anywhere. I've been searching all through the woods, on both sides of the road….like I said. Nothing."  
  
  
  
"Well, how about a little something to lower your spirits?" Phoebe said.  
  
  
  
"Thrill me," Prue shot back.  
  
  
  
"The rear axle on the SUV is busted clean in two," Phoebe jerked a thumb back at the vehicle, "even if you could push it out of the ditch, Prue, we won't be driving anywhere."  
  
  
  
"Great," Prue shook her head, "we must be miles from the nearest town!"  
  
  
  
"It's no problem," Phoebe said quickly, "I'll just give the rental agency a call and tell them that we ran off the road. They'll send a tow truck."  
  
  
  
Phoebe fetched her cell phone from the SUV and walked off as Piper glanced over at Prue.  
  
  
  
"Even if Phoebe gets a hold of someone," Piper reasoned, "it's going to take several hours before they can get to us…if they can even find us."  
  
  
  
"Fortunately I brought some extra food and water," Prue announced.  
  
  
  
"What would we do without you, Prue?" Piper teased.  
  
  
  
"Simple," Prue answered, "you'd go hungry."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Piper shivered as she stepped out of the relative warmth of the SUV and into the chilling dampness of the early morning. Prue walked around to the passenger's side of the vehicle and inspected the damage while Phoebe stood a short distance from them as she tried to place a call. After another moment, Phoebe gave up in frustration, walked over to her two sisters, and smiled grimly.  
  
  
  
"Bad news, guys," Phoebe said.  
  
  
  
"Let me guess," Prue said with a quirky smile, "they won't be able to get a tow truck out here for a couple of hours, right?"  
  
  
  
"Not exactly," Phoebe said slowly, "I can't even get a signal. I think we're in a dead zone."  
  
  
  
"You can't even call someone to tell them where we are?" Piper asked stunned.  
  
  
  
"The radio was working not more than a few minutes before we went in the ditch," Phoebe reasoned quickly, "so if we backtrack to where it was working, I might be able to get a signal there."  
  
  
  
"Wonderful," Prue grumbled again, her hands on her hips, "we're stranded in the middle of the Canadian wilderness and we can't even call for help. So much for our magical powers helping us this time."  
  
  
  
"I guess we'll just have to rely on the magic of AT&T," Piper grinned.  
  
  
  
"You guys stay with the car," Phoebe offered, "and I'll backtrack until I can get a signal and call for help."  
  
  
  
"You shouldn't go alone, Phoebe," Piper fretted, "there's no telling what out there in those woods."  
  
  
  
Prue walked over and snatched the phone from Phoebe.  
  
  
  
"I'll go and call for help," Prue announced, "while you guys stay here with the car."  
  
  
  
"Prue, I don't think it's a good idea--" Piper began, but Prue interrupted her.  
  
  
  
"I'm the one with the offensive power, Piper," Prue pointed out, "and if I run into any bears or mooses, I'll just--"  
  
  
  
"Mooses?" Phoebe repeated with a raised eyebrow.  
  
  
  
"Mooses…Moose," Prue fumbled about for the proper plural form then gave up in disgust, "You know what I mean."  
  
  
  
"Well, what ever we decide to do, we'd better get a move on," Piper said, "there's supposed to be a snow storm coming this way."  
  
  
  
"Right," Prue went back to the car and fetched some candy bars and a compass from her duffle bag, "you girls stay with the car and I'll be back with help as soon as I can."  
  
  
  
  
  
"Watch out for the mooses," Phoebe called out, as Prue looked back at her baby sister with a grin.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
To Be Continued… 


	2. Chapter Two

This story is very loosely based on two diffent swtorylines--Charmed, obviously, and also a movie called 'Quest for the Lost City', which was pretty bad. Still, I hope you like this version instead!--ZAP  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
I.  
  
  
  
  
  
Prue Halliwell paused for a moment and removed Phoebe's cell phone from her jacket pocket while she subconsciously shivered from the wet cold. Prue tapped the redial button as she took some measure of comfort in listening to some bit of technology. Something that she herself could control. As childish as it sounded to her, Prue was grateful to listen to the dial tones as the cell phone attempted to gain a signal from the dead zone. Prue frowned once more then set off down the road.  
  
  
  
Prue did not like the wilderness; she never liked camping or anything that did not have to do with the city. Not that she hated the wild, but she just did not feel a part of it. Even when she was much younger, Prue often dreaded the annual trips to the summer camp that Grams had sent her and her sisters. Camping was simply not Prue's favorite activity.  
  
  
  
To a certain extent, Piper was the same way, but Piper loved the water. She had once confessed her passion for the ocean to Prue when they were at summer camp and how Piper dreamed of one day owning a home along the beach or next to a large lake. Piper loved to swim canoe or just float about for hours.  
  
  
  
Then, there was Phoebe. Phoebe loved the wilderness; camping, hiking and even rock climbing. Prue secretly envied Phoebe's sense of adventure when it came to the wilderness. There had been times since she had graduated from high school that Phoebe was involved in one environmental issue or another and Prue was certain that Phoebe had been arrested once or twice for taking part in demonstrations protecting the environment. Though Prue supported the environmental issues as well, she doubted if she would have had the gumption that Phoebe did to stand up to those who wanted to exploit the wilderness for their own personal gain. Prue grinned to herself; maybe Phoebe would have been better suited to the task at present.  
  
  
  
  
  
A soft beep told her, however, that she was still within the valley itself. For over an hour, Prue had been steadily walking gradually uphill; something she had not noticed when she had been driving in the opposite direction. Prue stabbed the button to end the attempted call, when she noticed a faded wooden sign on the opposite side of the frost covered road, which faced away from her. Prue checked both directions, then jogged to the far side to get a better view.  
  
  
  
The wooden sign was so faded that Prue had a difficult time making out what it read. After a moment, Prue determined that there was a gas station down a side road about five miles. She walked past a thicket of barren trees as she spied a dirt road which faded into the fog shrouded woods. Prue glanced over her shoulder at the sign once more, then set off in the direction of the gas station.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Piper stood ankle deep in the snow as she looked at the ridgeline which was almost completely obscured by a thick mist. She pulled her thick jacket about her shoulders tightly as a soft treading of footfalls in the snow caused her to turn and face Phoebe, who came up to stand beside her older sister.  
  
  
  
"Something's wrong, Phebes," Piper chewed nervously, "Prue has been for hours and we still haven't heard anything from her."  
  
  
  
"Maybe she had to go further than we thought to get help," Phoebe offered, "besides, there hasn't been another car that's passed us since she left, so she hasn't missed us."  
  
  
  
"What if she ran into something?" Piper said, "What if she got lost?"  
  
  
  
"I don't think Prue could get lost, Piper," Phoebe answered, "all she has to do is follow the road."  
  
  
  
"She should have been back by now," Piper insisted once more, "Phebes, I've got a bad feeling about this place. I feel like…someone's watching us."  
  
  
  
Phoebe offered her sister a gentle hug with an arm.  
  
  
  
"Hey," Phoebe smiled, "I'm the one who has the premonitions in this trio, remember?"  
  
  
  
Piper did not answer, but attempted a smile, which turned out more like a pained expression.  
  
  
  
"Come on," Phoebe urged gently, "Let's get back to the car. It's starting to get pretty chilly."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
II.  
  
  
  
Prue came around a bend in the dirt road and saw a small country store just ahead with several gas pumps displayed out front. The building was long and low, made from either cedar or some other reddish colored thick wood, roughly hewn and fitted. There were other vehicles to the side and rear of the country store which were mostly broken down and missing numerous parts. Others sat on cinder blocks, nestled between several appliances which seemed to have been carelessly tossed into the grassy side yard.   
  
  
  
As she approached the front of the country store, Prue heard a dog barking at her from an old and rusted pickup truck which was parked alongside the gas pumps. An English Bulldog stuck its face out the passenger's window and barked and whined at her while it wagged its thick, stubby tail. It was mostly white, with large brown and black patches all over his back, which made him look more like the rag doll Grams had made for Prue when she was a young girl. She smiled softly as she came over to the pickup truck and petted the pudgy dog on his head.  
  
  
  
"Hey there, boy," Prue cooed gently, "what's your name?"  
  
  
  
"His name's Henry," a male voice said, which caused Prue to flinch. Prue turned and saw a handsome young man come from around the far side of the battered truck as he replaced the fuel hose and smiled at her. He was tall and lean, with a mop of gold-brown locks and deep blue eyes with gold flecks which seemed to shine even in the gloom of the mid-morning. He wore a denim shirt and faded jeans with an army jacket and a pair of army boots that were well worn.   
  
  
  
"And my name's Zack," he added.  
  
  
  
"Oh, hi," Prue fumbled about for a moment, impressed with his good-looks, "sorry. I just can't resist animals."  
  
  
  
"That's okay," Zack replied as he pointed to his dog, "Henry thinks he's real tough, but he's just a big ham when it comes to the ladies."  
  
  
  
"He's very cute, Zack," Prue replied, "um…by the way, my name's Prue."  
  
  
  
"Pleased to meet you, Prue," Zack said, "I take it you're not from around these parts?"  
  
  
  
"No," Prue said shyly, "my sisters and I sort of had a little accident about five miles up the road, so I was hoping to call a tow truck when I saw the sign for this gas station."  
  
  
  
"Was anyone hurt?"  
  
  
  
"No," Prue added quickly, "but I'm afraid that our SUV won't be going anywhere. I need to get a hold of a tow truck. Do you know if they have a phone inside the store?"  
  
  
  
"I would think so," Zack said, "but I'm kind of new to these parts, too."  
  
  
  
"Oh?" Prue questioned, "Where are you and Henry from?"  
  
  
  
"From Oregon, originally," Zack replied easily as he patted Henry on his thick head, "Henry and I came to Canada so I could complete my thesis for my masters degree in archeology."  
  
  
  
Prue's eyes widen slightly in surprise.  
  
  
  
"Archeology?" she repeated.  
  
  
  
"Yeah," Zack nodded, "an old friend of mine sent me a map of an area near here where there's supposed to be some sort of burial grounds."  
  
  
  
"I'm…a bit of an archeological buff myself," Prue smiled, "which tribe of Indians?"  
  
  
  
"Not Indians," Zack said, "an ancient race that was supposed to have existed thousands of years before them."  
  
  
  
Zack started for the store front and Prue found herself intrigued. Prue hurried to catch up to Zack.  
  
  
  
"What race do you mean?" Prue asked, puzzled.  
  
  
  
"An ancient race called the Ziox," Zack replied, "though, you probably never heard of them. Most people haven't."  
  
  
  
Prue thought about it for a second, then said, "Are you looking for the lost city of the Ziox civilization, Zack?"  
  
  
  
Zack stopped and looked at Prue in surprise.  
  
  
  
"You've heard of them?" he asked.  
  
  
  
"Well, sort of," Prue said, "but they were supposed to have vanished some five thousand years ago."  
  
  
  
"A friend recently discovered evidence that the ancient Ziox city might be located somewhere close by."  
  
  
  
"And he sent you a map?" Prue asked.  
  
  
  
"Yeah, right here," Zack removed a yellowed parchment from a plastic bag and handed it to Prue, who carefully examined the ancient scroll.  
  
  
  
"This is incredible, Zack," Prudence murmured, "if I'm reading this writing correctly, the Ziox city is located very close to this mountain range…here. See?"  
  
  
  
Prue pointed to a small area of the map as Zack leaned close and looked at the area Prue pointed to him.  
  
  
  
"Problem is, Prue," Zack said after a moment, " no one knows for certain exactly where the city is located. That area alone is nearly ten miles square. By the way, how is it that you can read ancient Ziox?"  
  
  
  
Prue grinned slyly, "I work at an auction house in San Francisco that specializes in selling ancient artifacts."  
  
  
  
"Sounds like it's my lucky day," Zack said as he opened the heavy oak door to the country store for Prue.   
  
  
  
"Mine, too," Prue blushed.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Candy bar?" Phoebe offered Piper as both of them sat in the SUV. Piper looked back and accepted the chocolate with a grin, while Phoebe cupped her hands together and blew into them.  
  
  
  
"I hope Prue gets back with some help soon," Phoebe complained softly, "otherwise they'll have to use ice picks to get us out of the car."  
  
  
  
"I just hope Prue's alright," Piper fussed as she tore open one end of the chocolate bar and nibbled on it, "I still don't feel right about letting her go off by herself."  
  
  
  
"Prue can take care of herself," Phoebe soothed, "She'll be back with some help and we'll be on our way home soon."  
  
  
  
Piper looked at Phoebe with a smile, which quickly faded into a frown of worry as she looked past her sister to a pair of glowing headlights in the misty distance.  
  
  
  
"I wonder if that's Prue now," Piper said as Phoebe looked back over her shoulder and spotted the head lights on the road.  
  
  
  
"I hope so," Phoebe replied as she struggled to get out of the car, "come on."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Phoebe and Piper both stood by the car as the headlights continued their approach.   
  
  
  
  
  
Something deep within Phoebe suddenly went off; something was wrong. It wasn't a premonitions, but something far more basic. As Phoebe watched the car approach, her stomach knotted as Phoebe realized they were in danger.  
  
  
  
  
  
Phoebe grabbed Piper gruffly by the arm and dodged into a thicket of woods near the car. Piper was about to protest, but Phoebe clamped her hand over Piper's mouth. Piper looked wildly at Phoebe, but Phoebe's eyes had never left the oncoming car. Piper looked back as well, Phoebe's hand still over her mouth, as Piper's eyes went wide with fear when she saw what had frightened her baby sister.  
  
  
  
Piper saw two men wearing black hoods in the vehicle. The passenger held an assault rifle next to him as he motioned for the driver to slow the car. Piper looked back at Phoebe with terror-filled eyes, but Phoebe simply watched silently. Seconds later the car accelerated off into the morning fog that left the two Halliwell sisters shivering with fright.  
  
  
  
"I don't think those guys were from AAA," Phoebe joked dryly, as she removed her hand from Piper's mouth.  
  
  
  
"Do people in Canada always ride around the back roads wearing hoods and carrying guns?" Piper added.  
  
  
  
"No, I don't think so, Piper," Phoebe said, "something tells me those guys are bad news."  
  
  
  
Piper grabbed Phoebe's arm, her eyes filled with terror.  
  
  
  
"What about Prue?" she gasped, "Those guys came down the same road that Prue took hours ago. What if she ran into them?"  
  
  
  
"Hopefully Prue avoided them, too."  
  
  
  
"But--" Piper worried.  
  
  
  
"We can't go looking for her, Piper," Phoebe reasoned, "we have no idea where she is or if she's already on her way back. The smart thing to do is to wait."  
  
  
  
"For how long?" Piper asked.  
  
  
  
"I don't know," Phoebe answered, "I suppose if Prue doesn't show up by morning, we'll have to chance leaving the car to find her."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
III.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The warmth inside the store bled the cold away from Prue as she sniffed the scented air. The interior of the quaint country store offered her a wide variety of scents as she shook off the morning chill and headed to the cashier at the counter. An old and be speckled man looked back at her from behind the rough-hewn counter as he set down a local newspaper.  
  
  
  
"Can I help you, miss?" he asked.  
  
  
  
"Hi," Prue waved quickly, "I had a minor accident up the road a few miles and I can't seem to get a signal on my sister's cell phone. May I use your phone to call a tow truck?"  
  
  
  
"Sure thing," the old man lisped, "but won't do you no good."  
  
  
  
"Why not?" Prue questioned.  
  
  
  
"Road to Alberta had a mudslide yesterday," he replied, "it will take another day or two at least before it can be cleared."  
  
  
  
Prue sighed, exasperated.  
  
  
  
"In that case," Prue chewed, "is there a motel around here somewhere?"  
  
  
  
"Nope," the old man replied.  
  
  
  
"I don't believe this," Prue rubbed her temple.  
  
  
  
"I don't want to sound pretentious, Prue," Zack said quietly, "but I was on my way to my friend's place. It's not more than ten miles from here. There's plenty of room for you and your sisters."  
  
  
  
"I really don't want to trouble you, Zack," Prue said politely, "but I…wait!"  
  
  
  
"What's wrong, Prue?" Zack asked, but Prue walked slowly over to a small portrait that hung on the wall behind a large barrel of flour. Zack shifted his eyes from Prue to the picture on the wall. It was an old photograph that was faded and yellowed with age and decay, but Zack could clearly see the little girl in the photo, dressed entirely in black. Although the photo itself was black and white, the little girl had long flowing blonde hair.   
  
  
  
Prue stood in front of the photograph, her fingers lightly touching it's dusty glass-covered surface. For just a moment, Prue wished that she had Phoebe's gift of Premonition. But even without it, Prue Halliwell was certain it was the very same little girl she had seen on the road only several hours ago.  
  
  
  
"Excuse me, sir," Prue directed her question toward the old man, "who's the little girl in this picture?"  
  
  
  
"Her name's Abigail," the old man replied.  
  
  
  
"This photograph…it looks very old," Prue commented as she attempted to nudge more information out of the old man by the way of casual conversation.  
  
  
  
"Close to a century old, I'd say," the old man nodded again.  
  
  
  
"Is there anyone that lives around here, a little girl perhaps, that looks like the girl in this photograph?" Prue asked.  
  
  
  
"Nope," the old man spit into a cup.  
  
  
  
"I saw a little girl about five miles up the road that looked exactly like her," Prue said as she gestured to the picture.  
  
  
  
"You probably saw Abigail herself…or her ghost," the old man said.  
  
  
  
"Her ghost?" Prue's heart stopped for just a moment.  
  
  
  
"Yep," the old man replied, "legend has it that Abigail came from a wealthy family that lived in these parts about a hundred years ago. One night, so the story goes, an evil cult kidnapped her and sacrificed her to their god in some sort of dark ritual intended to raise the dead…or some such nonsense."  
  
  
  
"But you believe the story about her ghost?" Prue asked.  
  
  
  
"Yep," the old man smiled, "I saw her myself once when I was a young man…must have been fifty years ago or more."  
  
  
  
"What does her ghost want?" Prue asked.  
  
  
  
"What are you guys talking about?" Zack asked, puzzled.  
  
  
  
"Ghosts often remain on this plane of existence because of some unfinished business," Prue said quickly, then turned back to the old man, "Did the authorities ever find the little girl's body?"  
  
  
  
"Nope," he shook his head sadly, "they say she wanders these woods looking for her body."  
  
  
  
"That's creepy," Zack muttered.  
  
  
  
"Would you be willing to sell that picture for…one hundred dollars?" Prue asked as she took a wad of bills from her pocket.  
  
  
  
"Sure," the old man said, surprised, "if you want it that bad."  
  
  
  
Prue went over to the picture and carefully removed it from the wall as she wiped the thick layers of dust off of the glass. She studied the picture for a moment then turned back to Zack.  
  
  
  
"Zack?" Prue said, "I need you help."  
  
  
  
"Um…okay," he said as he scratched his head.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
IV.  
  
  
  
  
  
"So just why did you buy that old photograph, Prue?" Zack asked as he drove down the long dirt road which led back to the two lane highway. Prue fidgeted uncomfortably until she came up with a decent lie.  
  
  
  
"My sisters and I…well, we're interested in stuff like this," Prue said.  
  
  
  
"So that's why you're out here in the middle of nowhere in November?" Zack asked with a crooked grin, "Come on, Prue, I'm sure you can do better than that."  
  
  
  
Prue blushed, "It's a little complicated, Zack."  
  
  
  
Zack glanced over at her and then shrugged his shoulders.  
  
  
  
"Fair enough," he said, "it's none of my business anyway."  
  
  
  
"I wonder," Prue looked back at his handsome face, "did your friend ever say anything about the Ziox? Did they sacrifice people?"  
  
  
  
"Well, not exactly," Zack replied, "after the Ziox city was destroyed, a splinter group of survivors gathered together under a supposed evil magic user."  
  
  
  
"A magic user?" Prue grinned.  
  
  
  
"Well, that's the closest thing to their leader that can be translated, yes," Zack smiled back innocently, "but my friend is the real expert."  
  
  
  
"That's the one who lives near here, right?"  
  
  
  
"The same," Zack nodded. Prue eased back in her seat as she balanced Henry in her lap. Prue scratched behind Henry's ear as her mind considered what she had seen.  
  
  
  
"Is that your car ahead, Prue?" Zack asked as he pointed to the broken SUV which was half way off the road. Prue smiled.  
  
  
  
"Yes, that's it," Prue set Henry down and then frowned, "but…where's Piper and Phoebe?"  
  
  
  
Zack pulled the pickup truck off to the side of the road and parked it, while Prue got out of the passenger's side. Henry leaped from the seat into a small bank of snow and completely disappeared from view before Prue picked him up and cradled him in her arms as she called out.  
  
  
  
"Piper? Phoebe?" Prue called out. A second later a rustling from some nearby trees caused Henry to bark as both Piper and Phoebe emerged from their hiding place.  
  
  
  
"Prue!" Piper gushed with relief, "Are you okay?"  
  
  
  
"I'm fine," Prue replied, "but what in the world are you guys doing hiding in the woods?"  
  
  
  
"There were these two guys in black hoods," Phoebe recounted breathlessly, "they drove by several hours ago and then returned just a few minutes ago."  
  
  
  
"One guy was carrying a big gun," Piper added.  
  
  
  
"Who's your friends?" Phoebe asked as she came close to Henry, who wagged his thick tail.  
  
  
  
"Oh…sorry," Prue said, "Piper, Phoebe, this is Zack. He was kind enough to give me a ride back."  
  
  
  
"What about a tow truck, Prue?" Piper asked as she waved at Zack.  
  
  
  
"Bad news," Prue said as she handed Phoebe her phone, "there was a mudslide up the road and no one can et to us for at least a day or two. But not to worry; Zack has a friend who lives nearby who can put us up for a while. Besides, that…person we saw on the road this morning?"  
  
  
  
"What about her?" Piper whispered.  
  
  
  
"I think she might need our kind of help…if you know what I mean, ladies?"  
  
  
  
Piper and Phoebe both looked at each other then nodded to Prue their understanding.  
  
  
  
"Would you excuse us for just a minute, Zack?" Phoebe asked as she pulled Prue off to one side and whispered softly.  
  
  
  
"Are you sure we can trust this guy?" she asked.  
  
  
  
"He seems harmless enough," Prue assured her baby sister, "but remember that we're not exactly helpless damsels in distress."  
  
  
  
"I'm not so sure about that, Prue," Phoebe said, "those two guys that drove by mean business."  
  
  
  
"What did they do, exactly?"  
  
  
  
"They just passed by the SUV…like they were looking for us," Phoebe said, "it's a good thing the woods were so close by the car."  
  
  
  
"Sounds like we need to get out of here," Prue determined, "but first I want you to take a look at something I bought at the store."  
  
  
  
Prue opened her coat and removed the picture of the little girl and gave it to Phoebe.  
  
  
  
Suddenly Phoebe's face went black as she gasped…  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"What?" Prue asked worriedly, "What did you see, Phebes?"  
  
  
  
"I saw this little girl…she was sacrificed by a weird kind of altar," Phoebe said as she shivered, "I don't know much else; but Piper was right. Something very evil is going on in these woods."  
  
  
  
"Prue! Phoebe!" Piper screamed as she came running towards them. Prue looked up at Piper, then saw Zack running for the pickup.  
  
  
  
"We've got to go! They're back!" Piper cried as she pointed at the headlights which materialized from the dense fog down the road.  
  
  
  
"Are those-?" Prue started to ask, but Phoebe grabbed her sister's arm and started to run for the pickup.   
  
  
  
"We've got to get out of here!" Phoebe cried as the crack of gun shots began to echo throughout the woods. Dirt, rocks and bits of wood were thrown about as Prue and Phoebe made a mad dash for the pickup. Piper got into the front cab, while Prue handed Henry off to her then climbed into the back of the pickup with Phoebe.  
  
  
  
"Go Zack, get us out of here!" Prue screamed.  
  
  
  
Zack gunned the engine and tore off down the road into the thick fog while Prue and Phoebe ducked down in the truck bed to avoid the bullets.   
  
  
  
"Phebes, stay down!" Prue ordered as she sat up and focused her power on the pursuing car. With a forceful nudge, Prue caused the pursuing car to veer off the road. Suddenly Prue fell back into the truck bed as Phoebe saw Prue's shoulder explode in blood.  
  
  
  
"NO! PRUE!" Phoebe screamed, "PIPER! PRUE'S BEEN SHOT!"  
  
  
  
  
  
To Be Continued… 


End file.
